One fumble followed by one drive that was one play too short late led to the Packers' 38-31 loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday at Lambeau Field. But after seeing the Chicago Bears get waxed in Philadelphia, it didn't even matter. This coming Sunday, the NFC North will still be on the line at Soldier Field.

Against the Steelers, Green Bay showed some fight again. Trailing 31-21 after a Flynn pick-six, the team clawed back to tie this one at 31-31 on John Kuhn’s 1-yard scoring plunge. But a Flynn fumble with less than two minutes left led to a Steelers touchdown. And after Micah Hyde's 70-yard return, a false start penalty triggered a costly 10-second runoff.

Flynn’s final pass attempt to Jarrett Boykin sailed incomplete.

Yet thanks to the Eagles, Green Bay can still win the division in Chicago next weekend. It's been that kind of season for the NFL and the Packers.

Player of the Game: Le'Veon Bell. He was a handful. Eddie Lacy may be having the better season, but Bell was a force today. He rushed for 124 yards on 26 carries with a touchdown.

Turning point: The Flynn fumble. Last week, the Dallas Cowboys committed the costly turnovers to turn the game. This week, Green Bay was in the giving mood.

Big Number: 42 years — John Brockington’s rookie rushing record held up before Eddie Lacy broke it on Sunday.

What went right: Green Bay ran the ball at will much of the day. Rookie Eddie Lacy (84 yards, two touchdowns) did the damage early, torpedoing into the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown. And when Lacy bowed out with an ankle injury, James Starks (43 yards) picked up the slack. Defensively, A.J. Hawk leapt for one interception that led to a field goal.

Receivers continued to make difficult catches, too. Jarrett Boykin caught the ball on the back of a cornerback’s helmet and James Jones (nine receptions for 84 yards) did his part, as well.

What went wrong: Stopping the run was a problem again for the Packers. One week after DeMarco Murray ran wild before disappearing from the Dallas game plan, the rookie Bell was a handful. The strong, shift, leaping back from Michigan State hurdled Morgan Burnett on one 25-yard run. Antonio Brown was difficult to track on the slick Lambeau Field track. His 36-yard reception teed up one touchdown, and he finished with 105 receiving yards.

Penalties at crucial moments didn’t help Green Bay—B.J. Raji had one hands to the face flag that kept a Pittsburgh drive alive, capped by Matt Spaeth catching an 11-yard touchdown inside Sean Richardson.

Perry’s penalty was a killer. And another penalty late led to a 10-second run-off before Flynn’s final pass.

Special teams woes persisted. In addition to the blocked kick and odd “illegal batting” penalty, the Steelers executed a fake punt on one touchdown drive. …On the pick-six, tight end Andrew Quarless bumped into Flynn and the quarterback’s pass was intercepted and returned 40 yards to the end zone by Cortez Allen.

Outside linebacker Clay Matthews re-injured his broken thumb and did not return. Green Bay couldn't sustain a pass rush, finishing with only one sack and three hits on Roethlisberger.

About Tyler Dunne

Tyler Dunne covers the Green Bay Packers. He has been on the beat since 2011, winning awards with the Pro Football Writers of America and Milwaukee Press Club.